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Tuesday, 7 April 2015

Fukushima radiation detected off coast of BRITISH COLUMBIA

Trace amounts of radioactive isotopes from Fukushima power plant disaster have been detected along B.C.’s shoreline for the first time. The traces were discovered Feb. 19 from samples collected in Ucluelet are well below internationally established levels of concern to humans and marine life, says the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). No radiation was found at the other 59 sites examined regularly and tested along the U.S. and Canada west coast over the last 15 months. “Radioactivity can be dangerous, and we should be carefully monitoring the oceans after what is certainly the largest accidental release of radioactive contaminants to the oceans in history,” Ken Buesseler, a marine chemist at WHOI, said. “However, the levels we detected in Ucluelet are extremely low.” Still, the scientists expect this isn’t the last time they’ll discover consequences of the Fukushima disaster along North America’s shores. FULL REPORT